What Can You Not Understand?

That should show you how strongly I believe in this. Heck, I believe that way and we are 33 weeks in.

 

MRS. LINE: My name is Mary Dorothy Line. My husband, Bill, and I are honored to be here today to speak for the many women and families who have also come forward to tell their stories in opposition to this terrible legislation.

Last April we were overjoyed to find out that I was pregnant with our first child. Nineteen weeks into my pregnancy, an ultrasound indicated that there was something wrong with our baby. The doctor diagnosed a condition called hydrocephalus. Every person's head contains fluid to protect and cushion the brain. But if there is too much fluid, the brain cannot develop.

As practicing Catholics, when we have problems and worries, we turn to prayer. As we waited to find our more from the doctors, our whole family prayed together. My husband and I were very scared, but we are strong people and believe that God would not give us a problem if we couldn't handle it. This was our baby. Everything would be fine. We never thought about abortion.

But the diagnosis was as bad as it could be. Our little boy had a very advanced textbook case of hydrocephaly. All the doctors told us there was no hope. We asked about in utero surgery, about shunts to remove the fluid, but there was absolutely nothing we could do. I cannot express the pain we still feel. This was our precious little baby, and he was being taken from us before we even had him.

This was not our choice, for not only was our son going to die, but the complications of the pregnancy put my health in danger, as well. If I carried to term, he might die in utero, and the resulting toxins could cause a hemorrhage and possibly a hysterectomy. The hydrocephaly also meant that a natural labor risked rupturing my cervix and my uterus.

Several specialists recommended that we terminate the pregnancy. I thank God every day that I had this safe medical option available to me, especially now that I am pregnant again and expecting a baby in September.

I pray every day, I really do, that this will never happen to anyone else. But it will. Those of us unfortunate enough to have to live this nightmare need a procedure that will give us hope for the future.

The people who promoted this bill do not understand the real issues. It is about women's health, it's not about abortion, and certainly not choice. These decisions belong to families and their doctors, not the government.

Well this first one is easy, they should have tried an in utero surgery...if it failed, then the intention was not to abort but to help... what about a c-section when the baby came close to term...

It seems as if they didn't try every option...

 

Yes, and that decision is between you and your wife. And absolutely yours to make. And another may couple may come to a different decision. And that decision should be theirs to make as surely as your decision was yours.


Sorry, I meant to post links to the women's stories I posted above...

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/white_house/abortion_veto_4-10.html

http://www.house.gov/judiciary_democrats/dlv50003.htm

 

It seems someone is a little sensitive to hydrocephalic conditions.

 

Do you read???

But the diagnosis was as bad as it could be. Our little boy had a very advanced textbook case of hydrocephaly. All the doctors told us there was no hope. We asked about in utero surgery, about shunts to remove the fluid, but there was absolutely nothing we could do. I cannot express the pain we still feel. This was our precious little baby, and he was being taken from us before we even had him.

 

Dude you missed out on the argument...

We went into the question of intentionality, with the mother going to die, I said that it comes down to a question of intentionality when they try to save the child not for abortions sake but for the sake of trying to save him, and so the child most likely will die and the mother live...

The other point, both my wife and I would be resolute to risk the physical injury (see post about my grandma) in order to have the child.

 

andy lets use reason here. A surgery to help the baby would probably fail, but the intent would be to heal it.... after it was dead it would be taken out and respected, and the mother would be fine...

 

And you have every right to that choice just as every woman has her right to that choice.

 

These people are devout Catholics who were just about forced to choose the abortion option because all of the other options weren't viable. You are the one who needs to use reason. They did everything they could and there were still risks to the woman if she tried to take it to term, so they were forced to abort late. It sucks, but that is why we need to have appropriate exceptions in legislation.

 

Andy, these peoples lives were not in danger... and all cases were unviable fetuses... which, you have the option to intentionally go in and fix but which might be succesful, therefore ending the life of the child but not by the same intention as an abortion... do you see what I'm talking about..?

 

But MadMax, what about the stories I posted? Do you think that these women should be considered criminals? These situations illustrate the need for the health exception. Frame it strong language, restrict it to major physical complications (not mental ones) but the exception should be there...

This procedure is horrible, I think we all agree on that. But a woman has a right to make decisions with her husband and her doctor about her own health...especially reproductive health...

 

Dude the baby is literally half way out when the procedure is performed.

 

The women's health and lives *were* in danger. There was no hope for the fetus in any of these cases. And you still advocate endangering the mother with invasive surgical procedures that have no chance of succeeding but much chance of causing even more harm to the mother??? Where are the rights of the woman in this???

 

Hoot, are you reading what I said about A) viable fetuses, and B) intentionality in trying to save the child, yet if fails, pregnancy is ended?

 

Hoot, like I said, unviable fetuses are another case, if baby is dead it is dead...

 

I understand your point and STILL disagree. If there is danger to the woman, she should have the right to mitigate that danger and if that means an abortion, it is her choice, not mine, not yours, and not some politicians.

 

You defend murder? After all, it is just the murders choice.

 

Yes. But the language of the bill we are talking about makes no provisions for that. That's why the exception for the health of the mother is necessary.

 

That seems like the health of the child...